Published Nov 23, 2011
VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN
49 Articles; 5,349 Posts
Higher-education officials say their institutions don't have budgets for expensive adjustments to ED's 'state authorization' rule
Online college students in Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Minnesota soon could have more limited school options as colleges and universities plan to withdraw their online programs from those states in response to a much-debated set of regulations. Colleges with large online course selections that draw students from every state have railed against the U.S. Education Department's "state authorization" rules, which require schools to gain approval from every state in which they have even one online student.
And even after a federal judge voided part of the state authorization rule in July, online education experts say ED probably will reintroduce the regulations in 2012. College officials have made it clear that they won't serve students in states with the most onerous requirements to abide by...
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/11/23/rules-could-prompt-colleges-to-pull-online-programs-from-some-states/
Yet another case of unintended and unwelcome consequences resulting from onerous governmental regulations.
Lunah, MSN, RN
14 Articles; 13,773 Posts
Good grief. This sort of defeats the whole purpose of distance learning and globalization of education ... how disappointing.
Conqueror+, BSN, RN
1,457 Posts
They want to put you on a 2 year waiting list and insure that you have no option but to wait...and overpay.
SweettartRN
661 Posts
Start writing your Congressmen and women today and protest. This is absolutely heinous and ridiculous!!
Just another reason for a nationwide nursing license!
NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN
2,487 Posts
This is just a ploy to force students to apply in state. This is slowly becoming a dictatorship for higher education.
elkpark
14,633 Posts
I don't see this as "onerous," "heinous," or unreasonable at all. Each state has the right and obligation to regulate and oversee educational programs within its own borders, so I don't think it's such a big stretch to require that schools in other places get approval from the state to, essentially, offer an educational program within the state, even if "within the state" means on someone's computer. Every other school that's offering educational programs within the state has to do it, why shouldn't an on-line program that is providing educations to citizens of the state have to, also? Educational standards set by individual states are, essentially, consumer protection rules, and some states are more vigorous about protecting their citizens' interests than others -- which, under our current system of government, they have a right to do.
I wonder how many of the people who think that this particular situation is so awful are usually strong "states' rights" advocates??
Because its isn't being done to protect anyone but the state's wallet. There is no concern for citizens behind these measures, just a desire to keep money from leaving the state and to keep students "in their place" .
Where is the evidence of this? The rules are being promulgated by the Federal Department of Education, not any individual state. If money is an issue, it seems to me that it's the online schools worrying about their wallets -- not wanting to spend the money to meet the same qualifications and standards that B&M schools do in order to operate in states with higher standards than the online schools meet now.
NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN
10 Articles; 18,928 Posts
Start writing your Congressmen and women today and protest. This is absolutely heinous and ridiculous!!Just another reason for a nationwide nursing license!
National nursing license will not occur due to licensure being a STATE not federal legislative function. :)
Agree to writing congress persons.
LoopsRN2
692 Posts
Okay, post deleted after re-reading content.
if the schools were not accredited then that would be a different story. For example the state of CA has no right to dictate how a school in Arkansas should model their nursing program. The state of CA only has the right to approve schools that operate in CA. If CA were to regulate schools in other states then they should be allowed to regulate schools outside the country. Which in both cases is rediculous